Five Principles For Leading During A Global Crisis

A version of this essay was originally published by Forbes.com on April 13th, 2020.

Leading amid a global crisis requires a very specific skill set. First, one has to find a way to stay centered and clear, mentally healthy and strong. Then comes the hardest part: one has to be 100% focused on the most important thing — whatever that may be for you, in your business. Here are five principles to help leaders do just that.

Principle 1: Differentiate between what you can and cannot control.

During a global crisis, the biggest factors are usually outside of your control. Rather than fixate on the newest statistics from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention or the latest dips in the stock market, try focusing on what you can control. What’s your cash position? Operating expense ratio? Days sales outstanding? Quick ratio? How many client interactions has your team had this week? Have you modeled or re-forecasted to prepare for the unknown?

Do a SWOT analysis for your company. Then, cross off everything that’s outside of your control. This should illuminate where to focus your energy.

Principle 2: Protect your mind.

“Where your awareness goes, your energy flows” is a concept I learned from the Hindu priest Dandapani. He explained that every day we have a finite amount of time and energy. Every moment you spend staring at your iPhone and surfing the web, fixated on your favorite news sites, and refreshing your Instagram feed, is time you’re not spending working on your most important thing — time you’re not spending protecting your company. It’s not healthy.

“Where your awareness goes, your energy flows” — Dandapani

Here are two tips for how to safeguard your mind:

• Use your smartphone to set limits for your internet, news, entertainment and social media use. Block specific websites you may have a hard time avoiding. And if you want to get really crazy, you can turn your screen to Grayscale, so it’s less exciting to look at. Remember, these devices are designed to distract you.

• Don’t start or end your day reading the news. Research proves it can be bad for mental health, productivity and it can inhibit happiness — especially during a global crisis.

Many successful people throughout history and today people begin their days with intentional morning routines. Exercising, reading, journaling, praying or meditating, doing yoga, hydrating and eating a healthy meal are the core components on almost every list. Need help getting started? Check out Hal Elrod’s The Miracle Morning for a framework.

That said, most concerned human beings want to know what’s going on in the world. I get it. Try giving yourself 30 minutes in the middle of the day to catch up on news, and limit yourself to only two or three sources so you’re not endlessly surfing the internet.

Principle 3: Know the difference between facts and analysis.

“Today I escaped from the crush of circumstances, or better put, I threw them out, for the crush wasn’t from outside of me but in my own assumptions.” — Marcus Aurelius

Believe it or not, news headlines cannot ruin your day. Similarly, your email inbox cannot overwhelm you. These are external things that don’t actually have access to your thoughts. They cannot control your mind, nor can they control what you think or how you act. Those emotions you feel, as real as they are, come from within you — not from anywhere else.

“Believe it or not, news headlines cannot ruin your day… These are external things that don’t actually have access to your thoughts. They cannot control your mind, nor can they control what you think or how you act.”

Author Byron Katie explains that pain and suffering abound when we believe our stressful thoughts. Before believing the story you tell yourself, ask whether it’s true. Is it observable? Is it absolutely, without a doubt, true?

The human mind manufactures endless stories, analyses and conclusions all day long. If you choose to believe all of it, that’s on you. You can’t blame external factors for the way you feel and the thoughts you think.

The next time your mind spins out or your emotions crash over you, ask what is true. Seek out the facts. Set your internal theories and analyses aside for a moment, and be objective, like a scientist in a lab. What’s true? What is undeniably factual?

Similarly, be on guard for the stories and analyses of others too. Since the beginning of the current global crisis, my phone has constantly blown up with links, posts, videos, and wild stories from friends and social media. There’s an unusually high number of fear-mongers today, many of whom manufacture every type and variety of worst-case scenario available. Fear sells. It hijacks our emotions, steals our attention and wastes our time. Be on the lookout for facts commingled with stories.

We choose our perceptions, our stories, our commentary and our analysis. We create them or borrow them from others. We choose how we see something and how we react to something. We choose what we believe. When we become aware of our choice in these things, we gain freedom and power.

Marshall Rosenberg’s Nonviolent Communication framework does a wonderful job of presenting the difference between observable facts and analysis/evaluation.

Principle 4: Find peer mentors and confer with them often.

The global crisis has been plenty isolating. Make time to connect with your peer mentors often. Use Zoom, Google Hangouts, FaceTime or whatever works best for you. It’s critical to “meet” more frequently during these times. Pay no mind to your camera quality — what matters is actually seeing each other’s faces, speaking candidly, sharing experiences and encouraging one another.

Business groups like the Entrepreneurs’ Organization (of which I’m a member) and the Young Presidents’ Organization foster peer mentorship. These organizations have something called forums — small groups for sharing experiences, accountability and support. I have a forum composed of seven of the most brilliant business minds in my world. Since the onset of the current global crisis, we “meet” weekly, knowing that in these challenging times, we must draw closer and lean into one another more often.

And give that classic “Man in the Arena” speech by Teddy Roosevelt another read. During a time of crisis leaders really have to tune-out the haters and nay sayers. It’s a time to truly lean into your peers, other leaders, especially those with similar skin in the game, peers who are actually in the arena of leadership and have experience leading in challenging times, making tough calls that impact dozens of people. 

Thank you, Brené Brown for bringing this back to the mainstream. This talk is brilliant.

Principle 5: Default to action.

Under normal circumstances, it’s perfectly fine, and often better, to take more time in making big decisions. During a global crisis however, acting slowly can mean bleeding cash and, ultimately, death for a business. As you read this, businesses in retail, hospitality, travel and other industries are going from healthy financials to the dead zone in a matter of days. For leaders, taking too long to reduce expenses can mean bankruptcy. In a crisis like this one, it’s critical to know your vital signs and act swiftly. And remember — a reduction in a critical expense line can be a temporary thing  —  something to help your company weather a storm. 

The principle of defaulting to action applies beyond just managing a company’s vital signs. During a crisis, it’s critical to move a little faster and be a little more action-oriented in everything you do. Do you have some critical moves you’ve been meaning to make in your business? Maybe you have a big personnel move you’ve been planning for? Is there an innovation or a new capability that needs an extra push to get it launched? Default to action. Get out of your head, stop waiting, and just do it. You can always iterate, change course or optimize as you go. But those who get caught in a crisis like a deer in headlights run the risk of getting passed by competitors who see crisis as an opportunity. As Amelia Earhart famously said, “The most difficult thing is the decision to act, the rest is merely tenacity. The fears are paper tigers. You can do anything you decide to do.“

“The most difficult thing is the decision to act, the rest is merely tenacity. The fears are paper tigers. You can do anything you decide to do.“ — Amelia Earhart

A crisis can be a defining moment for leaders. In these times, it’s critical to not spend too much time in your own head. Practice these principles to stay centered, focus only on what you can control, separate facts from analysis and default to action whenever possible.

RW

A version of this essay was originally published by Forbes.com on April 13th, 2020.

*This is yet another essay in-part inspired by my friends Mario and Chris — please check out their work too. We believe the process of public writing helps us learn, grow and improves our lives too. We call ourselves the Western Writers League and someday we might make hats with a fun logo.

The Power of Mindset

This essay was originally published by Forbes.com on July 2nd, 2019

Man’s Search For Meaning, by Viktor Frankl, is a book that’s always struck me like a punch to the gut because the story is so dark yet so real and so recent in terms of the timeline of human history. In reading it again more recently, it lit up like a signal fire of meaning and context for life as I reflect on my own journey leading a creative company.

Austrian neurologist and psychotherapist Viktor Frankl viewed life through a different lens than most. On September 25th, 1942, Frankl and his family were taken prisoner by Nazi Germany and spent more than three years in concentration camps, including Auschwitz.

During this time, Frankl examined how he and other prisoners faced endless life-defining challenges every day, often every hour. It’s hard to imagine a more stressful, heart-wrenching daily experience. Despite these conditions, Frankl was relentless in his quest to determine why some survived and some didn’t -- why some persevered and some gave up hope. With curiosity, he explored why humans behave differently when up against challenges, or in this case, the most horrific conditions imaginable.

Somehow, Frankl was able to zoom out and reframe everything around one singular, critical question facing every human: What is the meaning of life itself? As Frankl frames the concept, life is a constant and continual prompt, through which having meaning is the most vital component. And if we choose to pay attention, we will find life is constantly knocking at our door, presenting choices, offering possibilities, seeking some kind of choice or decision. In nearly every moment of every day, life stands before us, seeking a response. If only we’re awake enough to see it.

More importantly, Frankl found that some responses actually produce better outcomes. He discovered that when one’s response is grounded in purpose and meaning -- with a positive, optimistic mindset -- it nearly always increases the odds for better results. He found this was the defining difference between those most likely to survive the death camps and those less likely to persevere. Frankl wrote, "Everything can be taken from a man but one thing: the last of the human freedoms -- to choose one’s attitude in any given set of circumstances, to choose one’s own way."

"Everything can be taken from a man but one thing: the last of the human freedoms -- to choose one’s attitude in any given set of circumstances, to choose one’s own way." -Viktor Frankl

Let that sink in for a moment: A positive mindset can literally open up better possibilities and increase the odds of better results. This is Frankl’s case for defaulting to optimism. It’s about responding to whatever life may bring you with positivity. We’re talking about choosing your mindset, despite life’s circumstances. It’s the glass-half-full approach. Looking at the bright side. Seeing the best in people. Fighting away dark thoughts. Resisting negative self-talk. Not participating in gossiping and complaining. Always bringing your best self to any situation.

Frankl also wrote, "Between stimulus and response there is a space. In that space is our power to choose our response. In our response lies our growth and our freedom. In our response lies the opportunity for something better."

Make no mistake: In everything, we have a choice. Every human being possesses the power to choose how they'll respond to life. But isn’t it curious how frequently we don’t?

As humans today, it seems far too often we're going through life unconsciously -- cruising along on autopilot, unable to recognize the choice and power we possess. Even if we're awake enough to recognize our choices, we’re often blocked or frozen by dark forces like negative self-talk, worst-case-scenario thinking, complaining, succumbing to a victim mindset or getting caught up in the destructive nature of worry, gossip and perpetuating false narratives.

It's especially critical for leaders today to remain awake and positive, and to avoid the constant undertow of critical voices, stress and negativity. As Brené Brown has pointed out from a Theodore Roosevelt speech, our critics in the cheap seats don't matter much. It's only those who are brave enough to enter the arena with us, who are truly worthy of our attention. (Highly recommended: Watch Brown’s recent Netflix special here)

In my work as the leader of a creative company, I encounter all kinds of people, including those who default to worst-case-scenario thinking -- frozen inside their own minds, operating from a closed and defensive, second-guessing and complaining, fear-based mindset. Unfortunately, I’ve found many just can’t seem to help it. It’s as if they’re hardwired this way from birth. We all know people like this -- those unable to visualize the upside or imagine positive outcomes.

For a moment, consider Viktor Frankl and his experience in the death camps. Now, consider your own life and how you behave under stress and crisis. What mindset are you choosing to bring to your work, family and life?

Consider Frankl’s theory that when life is grounded in meaning, life has more upside, more possibilities. And when we bring our best self into challenging situations -- with an optimistic and positive mindset -- the likelihood of achieving better outcomes actually increases.

There are many impactful practices and resources available for mindset. For perspective, Man's Search for Meaning is a good place to start. In my journey, I've found choosing my mindset first thing in the morning to be transformational. My simple formula is this, which anyone can do: I read and contemplate my own personal purpose, core values, life goals and intentions first thing when I wake up. Then, I meditate, exercise and read something enriching. I also keep a mini-journal reflecting on my state of being, celebrating gratitude and stating my No. 1 objective for the day, No. 1 challenge for the day and any other reflections and affirmations worth noting. A homemade smoothie full of fruit, greens and goodness completes my morning routine.

A simple morning ritual provides a clear orientation -- priming the mindset for whatever life may bring your way, each and every day.

If you only remember one thing from this essay, please make it this: how you respond to any situation or experience in life is 100% up to you. No one can take that from you. Your response — your attitude is 100% your choice. Most importantly, a positive mindset can literally open up better possibilities and increase the odds of better results.

Mindset = Power.

RW

This essay was originally published by Forbes.com on July 2nd, 2019.

--> This essay is part of a series published in collaboration with The Western Writers League. Take a few minutes to explore my peers’s work as well.

I’m Not Perfect by Chris Corbin

My Life Is Not Perfect by Mario Schulzke